Search queries, including those that originate from users via a computerized or electronic submission process, can be analyzed by a search engine or other processor to identify information corresponding or related to each respective search query. The search queries may be submitted over an electronic network, such as a collection of networks, spanning numerous localities or geographies, such as the Internet. Users may submit search queries from various devices, such as personal computers, laptops, PDAs, mobile devices, smart phones, and so on.
Search queries may be determined to have a global or local interest. Search queries that are determined to have a local interest may be useful in a variety of contexts. Search queries may have a local interest if, for example, the search queries originate from users in a particular geographical region at a relatively high frequency. Search queries that are determined to originate from a particular geographical region at a relatively high frequency can be used to influence search results for a user in the particular geographical region or search results that are otherwise associated with the geographical region. Search results influenced by local interest can be found to be more relevant to a search query. Local interest is not limited in type to geographical regions; for example, search queries may also have a local interest if, for example, the search queries originate from a particular demographic at a relatively high frequency.
Techniques exist for determining whether a search query has a local interest. For example, in one technique, a set of search queries and corresponding IP addresses for the corresponding users' devices may be obtained. The geographical regions associated with the search queries may be determined by comparing the corresponding IP addresses to a lookup table that stores data linking IP addresses with geographical regions. If a search query originates from a particular geographical region at a relatively high frequency, as compared to other geographical regions, the search query may be determined to have a local interest with the particular geographical region. However, if a search query has a low absolute frequency in a particular geographical region, it may only be possible to determine with a low reliability whether the search query originates from the particular geographical region at a relatively high frequency, as compared to other geographical regions.
Accordingly, and in view of the foregoing, there is a need for Improved methods and systems that are capable of determining whether search queries are local search queries that have a local interest to a geographical region. Moreover, there is a need for improved methods and systems for determining whether a search query has a local interest, including for low absolute frequency search queries. There is also a need for such methods and systems that overcome the drawbacks and limitations of conventional search query techniques.